Witty Conversations and Fancy Clothing
by Hello-again931
Summary: Astoria Greengrass, clever and conceited, and cold Draco Malfoy had been friends since birth, but only seeing each other during the Annual Malfoy, Highly Exclusive Parties. How exactly did they go from being squabbling mates to being married?
1. The Christmas Party, Year 1

**A/N: **So, I created this because I was bored, and suffering from writer's block from my other stories.

***An Introduction and A Crab Cake from Gigi***

***The Christmas Party, Year 1***

**The Malfoy's annual Christmas Party. **We went every year, every Christmas Eve, no matter what. The Greengrass family (us) was very friendly with the Malfoys, of course, it was expected, as we were both the noblest of Wizarding families, purebloods, and with no record of a blood traitor, except for Andromeda Black, who married a Muggle, but she was long forgotten. Though, Grandmother on Mother's side was a half-blood, but no one knew about that. We owed a lot to the Malfoys. Mr. Malfoy had given Dad a job in the Ministry when he had lost his position at St. Mungos as a healer (one of his patients had died mysteriously, and the family had started a law suit), a couple years before I was born. It was a lousy job, the assistant to the assistant of the Head of the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee, but Dad quickly went through positions, and soon made himself the Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. All we owned, the mansion in the country, the two apartments in London, and everything in them, was due to their kindness. We scheduled everything in our year around their two parties, the Christmas one, and the Garden Party at the end of the school year.

I had watched Mother get ready that night, as I always did. She always took out her few best dresses and tried them on for me, and I would help her pick which one. Out of the black cocktail dress, the blue puffy one, and the red, sleek one, I chose the latter. It was very polished, tight around the bodice, until mid-thigh, where it fanned out like a mermaid's tail. There was black and white beading around the neck line and sprinkled around the bottom part of the dress. Mother said it was too young for her, but wore it anyway, wearing a smile. I chose my new black one that had an empire waist with a big emerald green bow, with a puffy bottom. It was too big for me on the leg, about four inches too big, so it was difficult to walk, but I just _had_ to wear it. Daphne's choice was dreadfully simple, spaghetti-strapped and silver, with nothing remarkable about it. Dad wore a tuxedo.

We apparated and arrived at the gates of Malfoy Manor at exactly eight o'clock. The walk from the gates to the front door was probably half a mile, but as Malfoy Manor, like Hogwarts, had an anti-apparate spell, it was either apparating and walking or riding brooms and ruining our hair. Of course, we chose the walk. Finally, when we reached the door, we were greeted by a human servant by the name of Hugo. I guessed the all the house elves were busy cooking the dinner. Hugo led us to the left room, a large sitting room, and offered us drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

"Anastasia!" called Narcissa Malfoy, entering the sitting room with her arms out, Lucius and Draco following quietly behind her, careful not to step on the large train of her dress. She and Mother were very good friends, and Daphne and I were friends (or at least, good acquaintances) with Draco Malfoy, because of all the play dates they planned for us so they could go out together. Mother stood up and they kissed each other on both cheeks, while Mr. Malfoy greeted Father with a light handshake. They switched places, the men kissing the women on their gloved hands, murmuring their names. Draco greeted Daphne with the stink eye (they didn't get along that well), and me with a slight nod. I knew Draco well enough that I knew the nod meant he was happy to see me.

"Sebastian, how is the Department?" began Lucius conversationally sitting on the grand, luxurious sofa. Per usual, we were the first ones to arrive, and we would be the last ones to leave. We had a long time to catch up with each other until the Malfoy's hosting duties took them away. Like I said, our parents got along really well.

"Ana, I must tell you about this before I forget," Narcissa said, clad in a tight, sparkly blue dress that seemed to match her forget-me-not eyes perfectly. "You know that woman -" They loved to gossip together, almost as much as shopping and eating lunch at insanely expensive restaurants, where they received less than half a serving of food, which had double the amount of fat. Then they would work all the fat off together in these silly running groups, and join different clubs that they would quit after two weeks. Apparently, that was friendship.

Draco sauntered over to where Daphne and I were standing, his arm still in his sling. "Daphne," he greeted her icily. She glared at him and walked off. We both knew Malfoy Manor pretty well, so by the direction she was going, I guessed she was headed for the library. She loved books, so she probably would lock herself up in there till dinner.

"Astoria."

I smirked. "Draco." We stared at each other for a minute, raising one eyebrow and putting our lips into comical scowls, and then I snorted loudly then laughed. Draco joined me.

"So, how is your first year, Tori? Everything you ever dreamed it would be?" he drawled.

"Oh, and then some," I answered with a laugh. "No, actually, it's been quite boring. Although that Sirius Black, popping in every once in a while, really brightened things up a bit, didn't it? I can't understand it though, as I wrote to Dad and he assures me Black was never a Death Eater. I can't imagine why he would be in the castle if he wasn't out to kill Potter. He probably wants something from the Gryffindors, doesn't he?"

"How – how do you know about that? And how does your father know?"

"You forget that I, like you, am the child of the world's biggest gossip and the former Slytherin who has the most Death Eater connections, though, of course, mine never was one. Apparently it was too dangerous for such an unlikely outcome or something like that. Anyways, I can ask my parents any question about a wizard and get a correct, twenty minute answer, along with other irrelevant details. Of course, your situation is the same as mine isn't it?" Draco shrugged and glanced at the front doors. People were already coming in, and the two front rooms were beginning to be filled with Slytherin, pureblood families. I smiled.

"Are you that bored of me already? Who are you impatiently waiting for, who is the person who is obviously much more interesting than I am?" I learned this lingo from Mother, who was the Queen of Making Us Guilty, us being Father, Daphne, and I.

"No one, just a friend."

"So, how's the arm? Excruciatingly painful?" I smirked, poking the sling. Everyone knew Malfoy was faking to get the giant oaf sacked.

He scowled, and moved away from my poking range. "What Draco?" I continued. "We all know what you're doing, why bother faking your injury here?"

"Are you defending the fool?"

"Of course not. He hasn't even graduated from Hogwarts, he shouldn't be teaching. He can hardly talk, let alone teach an entire class of students. I'm just saying."

We made polite conversation until the Parkinsons and the Crabbes arrived together a few minutes later, at the same time, Draco straightened.

I gasped mockingly and bought a hand to my mouth, widening my eyes as well. "Mr. Malfoy! Do not tell me you fancy Miss Irma Crabbe II!" Irma was a plump girl that resembled a pig in both face structure and stature. Tonight she was wearing this ghastly, coral tarp that clashed horribly with her pinkish skin and orange, frizzy hair. Draco sent me a bored, unamused look. Hey, I thought it was funny. The image of thin, cold and unagreeable Draco with his arm wrapped tightly around Irma's pudgy, silk taffeta covered waist was utterly hilarious to me.

"I'm going to go see _Vincent_ Crabbe. I'll see you at dinner, alright?"

"Fine, but say hi to Irma for me!" I called.

From behind his back, he slyly sent me the finger, but it was paired with a slight smirk. I laughed, picked up a crab cake from Gigi the server, then went to find someone else to bother.

**Dinner at the Malfoy Christmas Party was a huge ordeal. **They were in possession of one of the biggest dining rooms in Britain, probably even the size of the Queen's, which I would think would be quite big. Of course, the Christmas Party was the only time it was used. They had a suitably sized dining room for regular use, which was already very big dining room wise, and they just served hors d'oeuvres at the July Garden Party, so they didn't need it then. They also had a grand ballroom adjacent to the big dining room, where everyone usually danced after they ate. Sometimes the woman and the men would separate into different rooms, the men would play poker, smoke, and drink, while the ladies gossiped and drank tea. The kids were generally stuck somewhere in the middle.

But at the moment, my only problem was the kids' table. The dreaded kids' table. There were typically about thirty kids at the party, at least half of them under the age of seven, which meant a lot of screaming, crying, dirty diapers, and refusals to consume vegetables and/or anything green, and I was usually stuck in the middle of it. Not that I didn't like little kids, I mean they were OK, but (attempting to) consume a fancy, delicious meal is not the best when combining it with angry tots.

I sat between Draco and Daphne, who both sat beside with their friends, meaning, I would be no doubt lonely and ignored for the whole meal, as there were hardly any other first years here. Most of the kids in my year were either Mudbloods or half bloods, which was especially bad for me tonight; since there was really no one I could talk to that I was particularly familiar with. I sighed.

Servants brought out single plates for all of us, serving us one at a time. First was the salad course, and I had a choice between five different ones I had never heard of before. I picked one out at random, and it actually turned out pretty darn good.

"So Draco," I began, seizing an opportunity. His friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, both rather dim, chubby boys, were occupied with hunting down all the shrimp, scallops, and croutons in their salads, and were too busy to talk, "I never got the chance to ask you how your year's going."

"Well, are you going to ask?"

"Pardon me? I just did," I answered, raising an eyebrow and biting into a rather large chunk mandarin orange.

"You just remarked how you never asked me, which was a statement. I'm still awaiting your question."

"Fine," I said with a laugh, "how is your year going so far, Draco? How is it, being the wondrous Slytherin Seeker?"

He smirked his usual pleased smirk. "Quite smashing, dear Astoria," he said with a fake, old English accent.

"C'mon, you have to give me something better than that! I can hardly make fun of you with that answer! Well, I can offer you a top hat and a cane to go with your nice accent."

He laughed, but was stolen away by Goyle, asking about something unimportant, yet it required a very long, tiring answer from Draco. We ate the rest of the two courses (soup and main) without speaking, and by dessert (the formal dinner was over. Everyone could just get up, fill a plate with sweets, grab a cup of coffee and go where they wanted), he had left with them. I spent the rest of the night with Daphne and her friends, who seemed to like me, and sometimes taking a break from them and drifting around the groups of people, listening in to conversations. We had left at nearly one in the morning, the last people to leave, as I said before, but Draco was absent from the elder Malfoys.

We ended the night with the normal Greengrass Christmas Eve, with a mug of steaming hot chocolate by the fire of one of the apartments, opening one present each (I received a Pygmy Puff, which I named Boris), and heading off to bed.

**A/N: **So, what do you think of it? I plan for the chapters to only take place at the two Malfoy parties, but who knows? It might not turn out that way…

And yes, I am fully aware that everyone was donned in Muggle garb, and modern Muggle garb at that, and I refuse to change it. I absolutely love describing dresses and thinking up some cool ones for the next chapters. And clothes in the 90s were perfectly horrid.


	2. The Garden Party, Year 1

**A/N: **As the end of the school holidays draw nearer, I will be updating less and less. Sigh.

***A Contest and Some Old, Gossiping Ladies* **

***The Garden Party, Year 1***

**The Malfoy Garden Party was totally different than the Malfoy Christmas Party.** For one thing, it was during the summer, so it was usually warm and outside, but the whole atmosphere was unlike it as well. The Christmas party was dark and warm, almost with a kind of richness to it. The Garden Party was light and airy. Anyways, there was swimming, and outside games, and no sit down dinner, just servants running around with plates of hors d'oeuvres. Plus, it was in mid-afternoon.

Mother and Daphne dressed very similarly, both of them in 50's style dresses. Mother wore this beige two piece one with a rose pattern, the blouse short sleeved and collared, with a black ribbon around the waist. Daphne wore a red polka dot one with a thick red band at the waist and a full skirt with a thinner band round the middle of it. I preferred a simple white knee-lengthed one, with a sweet heart neck and thick, lacey straps. I also did my hair up in a braid that reached the middle of my back.

"It's a shame your father couldn't come," said Mother, putting on her dangly, diamond rose earrings. "Think of all the fun he'd have had." My father was currently at work; staying over-time because of all the paper work that piled up during the weeklong vacation in Ireland we had a few days earlier. Mother regretted not having the vacation until after the party, as she thought Mrs. Malfoy would find it 'unforgivably rude' (an actual quote from Mother) if there was one missing from our number.

I laughed. "Yes, Mother. Father would sure love sitting by a pool, eating mini tuna sandwiches and listening to groups of women discussing the horrible, egotistical neighbors they have and what the woman down the street said about so-and-so, and so-and-so's reaction. He just might 'accidentally' fall in the pool, after tying a sack of heavy rocks to himself." Mother gave me a stern look. "What? He wouldn't have any fun! There are hardly any men that he could talk to there!"

She ignored me, placing a floppy hat with a pink rose perfectly on her head, just touching the delicate bun resting on the nape of her neck. "Well, I'm already to go. Where's your sister?"

Again, we apparated, but as the party was taking place outside, we just went around the back, following the stone path through a maze of trimmed bushes, trees, flowers, and the occasional bridge over the bubbling, winding brook the passed through their yard. At last, we reached a gate, which led to the pool area and patio.

Narcissa, who was sitting on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced pumpkin juice, saw us and stood up. "Oh, Ana! So glad to see you, how long has it been? And the girls! How are you? I got your owl yesterday, such a shame Sebastian couldn't make it, think of the fun he's missing out on!" Mother sent me a hardly-hidden, I-told-you-so look. "Come, come, and sit down. What can the servant get for you? Iced pumpkin juice with a splash of Blishen's Vodka? It's absolutely marvelous." Mother gave an affirmative and sat down on a matching chair, and Daphne joined them. Narcissa, seeing me standing there awkwardly, exclaimed, "Oh, Draco is just in his room. Go see him, if you'd like." She turned to Mother, "Did you hear what that horrid woman down the street said to me -"

I went through the Manor's many rooms to find the staircase in the parlor (I didn't really have to, I mean, they had several closer staircases, but I loved the way my heels sounded to the marble), then wove my way throughout the upstairs rooms to find Draco. His bedroom was at the end of the left wing, so it had many shortcuts to it. I chose the easiest one, through the game room, past the third library, cut across at the blue office, through many, many bedrooms and finally reached his door. I knocked, then without waiting for him to say anything, walked in.

His room was by far the biggest I've ever seen (I always guessed that Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy's bedroom was bigger, but I had never seen it). Draco's was white, with silver and green furnishings, Slytherin colors. A four poster bed on one side, a sitting area with a grand stone fireplace on the other, and a large desk in the middle, along with book cases filled with thick, musty copies of history books. He also had a huge bathroom, and two closets.

"Hello Draco," I said, flopping into one of the chintz, emerald green chairs that sat beside the fireplace. Rockwell, his Crup, ran out of the bathroom at full speed and flung himself on my lap, then snuggled up against me. Crups were known to be a bit nasty, but Rockwell adored me. And since Rockwell never left the property, they didn't sever his forked tail off, though it was rather painful if he accidentally poked you with it.

Draco looked up from his book. "Oh, I didn't hear you come in."

"Well, I did knock," I said. "So, why are you being so anti-social?"

"I'm not being anti-social!" he protested. "I'm just not in the mood for a large crowd of gossiping, hormonal women." I laughed, then walked over to him and looked over his shoulder. Rockwell jumped off the chair and followed me, barking. I sighed and picked him up, stroking him. The Crup somehow managed to roll over in my arms, so that his belly was up. The thing was such an angel around me, but according to Draco, it was completely evil when it was just them together. That was weird, as Crups were usually extremely loyal to wizards, and hated Muggles.

"So, what are you reading?" He shut the book firmly and shoved it in his book case, but I caught the title and a couple words on a page.

"Why exactly, are you reading about the Triwizard Tournament, Draco?"

"No reason, just curious about the whole thing." Draco was very good at lying. He looked you right in the eye, perfectly serious all around, but he couldn't fool me. I mean, he hated all those history books. He wouldn't pick one up on a whim, simply because he was bored. He had better things to do than read, as he put it. That was one of the main reasons he and Daphne didn't get along. She spent all her time with books, she couldn't understand why he disliked them so much.

"Draco, I'm not asking again," I said firmly. "What, are they going to revive it or something?" He was silent. "They are! How do you know?" The Triwizard Tournament was something all Wizarding kids have heard of, but never actually knew what it all meant. We never really got many details about it, so it was very confusing. It would be so cool if I could witness it.

"My father told me, it's starting again this year. They're still going with the usual rules and everything, but only seventeen year olds get to compete. It's completely unfair, don't you think? Everyone should get the chance to compete, even if it is a small one. Well, except for the Mudbloods."

I sighed. "Draco, are you daft? It's not unfair, it's logical. I mean, with all the dangerous things the competitors have to do, it makes perfect sense. Can you imagine a first year attempting to put a frilly cocktail dress on a Chimaera? Which, from what I gather from your book, was the second task in the 1592 Tournament. Only someone who is ready for the challenge should be able to compete." I looked down on him, rubbing Rockwell's tummy. I felt like an evil villain. I smirked at the thought.

"You know Tori, I usually hex people when they talk to me like that," said Draco severely, scowling at me.

"If you had the guts to actually hex _me_, it would've been done by now." I smirked, then glanced out the window. "Anyway, I see the Rosier family outside; we should go and greet them, as you are the co-host to this party."

**It was obvious that Draco wasn't pleased with me at first, but he soon forgot my comment and we enjoyed ourselves, or at least, had the best time we could surrounded by old women, complaining about this lady and what she said last week. **There weren't many men at this party, and normally Draco was one of the eldest males there. I always wondered why he didn't just go to a friend's house or something, but whenever I asked (which was quite frequently), he would change the subject.

"Oh, happy belated birthday, by the way," said Draco, sitting down by the pool. I joined him. "Why wasn't I invited to the party? I was quite hurt you know, the day of your birthday when I didn't get an invitation."

I smiled cheerfully. "I didn't have a party, I was in Ireland, remember? All I got was a piece of a dry old spice cake at a pub with one stinking candle stuck in the side of it and one present, though it _was_ pretty fabulous. I got my own Crup. She's awfully fat and hates Daphne. I named her Olga."

"Olga?"

"Yes, Olga," I said, swallowing my mini chocolate éclair whole. "It suits her."

We were silent for a few moments. I suddenly got an idea. "This is incredibly boring. We should do something fun – we should have a contest." A contest was perfect to pass the time, if we did it right, the whole party could be done by the time we finished.

"What are you, five?" he asked maturely. I snorted.

"I'm six, actually." He smirked. "C'mon, it'll be fun," I begged. "You can pick what we have do. Just make it so it lasts a long time."

"How about –" he thought for a moment, "- eating contests are out, right?" I nodded. It would last about four minutes, _and_ I would probably ruin my white dress, not to mention getting in trouble _and _embarrassing Mother in front of all her friends. "How about we see who can annoy the most waiters?"

I laughed internally. I annoyed waiters on my spare time; I was an expert at it. Of course, the servers the Malfoy's hired were most likely super good at their job, and didn't irritate that effortlessly. No matter, I'd still win. "Okay, so what counts as annoying them?"

"Anything from them saying something rude to them quitting. As long as they're angry. Then we count them all at the end of the party, and _no cheating_ Astoria."

"Why do you assume I plan to cheat?" I said, pretending to be insulted.

"Because I know you, and you'd cheat if I didn't say anything."

"Hey, why d'you think that you saying something would prevent me from cheating?"

He laughed. "Anyway, we start now, and no cheating whatsoever."

We walked off in opposite directions, and I went towards the first waiter I saw, a tall, tanned, bald burly guy holding a couple of glasses of champagne on a sliver tray.

"Hey, baldy!" I called, walking over to him. I hoped that this guy was a bit insecure about his obvious lack of hair, and he didn't shave it because he thought (in some mad way) it was attractive. As I walked over to him, I noticed a rather scary, large tattoo that just peeked out from his collar. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what would bother him enough to yell at me.

He turned. Crap, he was well acquainted with the nickname. "Hey, Baldo, what's up?" I reached for a glass of the bubbling liquid.

"I'm sorry, miss, but I think you're a little young to be drinking any alcohol." He laughed, lifting it up higher. I raised my eyebrows.

"Excuse me, but aren't you paid to serve me? I wish to be served. Do you want me to go talk to your boss, Narcissa Black, about your incompetence? This is utter rubbish!" I hoped a rant would make his cheese slip off his cracker. "This party is for important people like us, and we're supposed to be served by people like you. Stupid, useless, lazy people like you and all your other stupid, useless, lazy friends working with you! I can't believe this! _You're _denying me food? I am here to have fun, and to eat and drink what I wish! That is what the party's for! This is absolute anarchy! You're poor and I'm rich, you are supposed to clean my shoes and kiss my hand, not deny me of something that is my right! I can't believe this!"

One of his eyes twitched. "Pardon me, miss, but your shoes are already clean, and your hands are much too dirty for my lips to touch them." He left without another word, shaking all over.

I laughed, mentally thinking, _that's one!_ in my head. Man, I made him **pissed**. And my rant hardly made any sense. I wondered if Draco was having any success. I giggled again, and then went in search of another servant. I found one, a rather pretty blonde woman, probably about thirty, sitting on a bench by a few trees, almost completely hidden by a canopy of leaves.

"Hey, I'm Astoria, what's your name?" I said, joining her.

"Oh! I think I should get back to work," exclaimed the girl, standing up.

"Don't worry; I won't tell Mrs. Malfoy, I promise. Just hang out for a bit. Isn't this party dreadfully boring?" This one was going to be harder. What would she get upset by? She was pretty and well aware of it . . . maybe I could work with that. The woman smiled and sat down with me, twirling her hair around her pale fingers. "Your name?" I repeated.

"I'm Georgiana Lockhart." She shook my hand.

"You know, you look really familiar. Have I seen you before?" That was true, actually, but it was also part of my trick.

She smiled. "Well, my brother taught at Hogwarts last year. Gilderoy Lockhart, did he teach you? Or I suppose you could have some of his books as well, he was quite famous with the witches, he made lots of galleons, still is, even when he's in the nuthouse, but of course, he shares none of it with me…" She grin turned into a deep frown.

That was it; she looked like the female version of that git who accidentally erased his own memory. "No, that was my first year." Bitter, wasn't she? "But sorry about the whole memory charm thing. It, er, must be very painful for you to talk about him." I sighed dramatically. "No, I just can't put my finger on it. You look so familiar. Are you sure we haven't met before? I never forget a face."

"No, I don -"

"I know! You look exactly like –" I paused for dramatic effect, "- Bathlida Bagshot!"

Her eyes widened and she scowled, tossing her hair behind her shoulder angrily. "Care to repeat that?"

"You know, that super old witch that wrote _A History of Magic_? The one with the gray hair and that ghastly, big wart on her nose? She has a picture of herself on the back of her book. I mean, you're like twins; it's actually kind of freaky. Are you related to her or something?"

Her eyes turned to slits. "I beg your pardon, you- you, cheeky - gormless nutter! I do not look like some old hag! Now excuse me, I have work to do!" And with that, the woman ran off with her serving tray under her arm. Wow, I really didn't expect her to react like that, all angry and rude, but at least I got her to go back to work.

**Draco won the contest, unfortunately. **He did what I considered cheating, but according to him, it was only fair, because I always cheated at everything we did when we were little. He simply would go up to one of the servers, and as he was the hostess's son, he could just say they were sacked for doing something they didn't do, like spitting in the drinks. They, naturally, would get angry, Draco would set them straight, and then he would go on to the next one. He beat me by 5 people, he with 11, and I with 6. Luckily, we didn't bet or I would be broke.

At least the contest did what I intended it to do. By the time it was over, two hours had passed and it was nearly time to leave. After tallying up the results, Mother asked me to say good bye to everyone, so I did, and then after the usual incredibly tedious half-hour parting conversation between her and Mrs. Malfoy (I talked about the Quidditch World Cup with Draco. I never really liked Quidditch that much, but I was still jealous he got perfect seats in the top box,_ and_ got to be the Minister's guest. Father got some for us in a smaller box on the other end of the stadium), we left for the country house.

**A/N: **What didyou think of this chapter? I'm not sure it included more or less of Draco, but it's certainly longer.

Just in case you haven't read Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them, a Crup is a dog very similar to a Jack Russell Terrier, only it has a forked tail, which is supposed to be cut off at about six to eight weeks in case a Muggle sees it, but since the Malfoy's go by their own rules, they, of course, didn't.


	3. The Aftermath of the Quidditch World Cup

**A/N:** So, this isn't a party chapter, but I had just had to include it.

***A Riot and An Unexpected Dark Mark***

***The Aftermath of the Quidditch World Cup, Year 1***

"**Mother, **_**please**_**! Can I **_**please**_** go out?"** It was a couple hours after the wondrous Quidditch Cup, and some sort of riot started about ten feet from our lovely, four bedroom tent. According to Father, a few of his Death Eater chums got a tad over excited (dead drunk), and were now tormenting some simple, clueless Muggles. He said that they were lifting them in the air and showing off their knickers for all to see. I was dying to go witness it (not that I was sadistic or anything like that, just curious to see how Death Eaters went about their business. It was a possible occupation for me, if Voldy did one day rise again), but Mother refused to let me go. She was frightened that I might get trampled by those foolish wizards, who were panicking for absolutely no reason. It was obvious that they would be perfectly safe from the Death Eaters, I mean, they're wizards. Death Eaters don't harm those with good, clean blood.

She gave me a long, wearisome look. "I said no, Astoria, how many times do I have to say it?" She took a sip of her cold, long forgotten coffee, made a face, and then heated it with a spell. She slid her glasses to the end of her nose and continued on her newspaper article. "Look, they already have this fiasco in the evening edition of the _Prophet_. Honestly, these Death Eaters need to stop this immediately, it's entirely childish, and it's causing so much unnecessary terror and noise." To prove her point, a high, piercing scream echoed into the tent. Mother was once a Death Eater, but very briefly. She became pregnant with Daphne soon afterwards and took maternity leave, so to speak. At the time, Voldy was in his prime, with all his healthy Death Eater chums at his side, so Mother wasn't really necessary.

"_Please_, Mother, I _promise_ I'll be good. I won't get to any trouble." She shook her head. "What if I bring Daphne with me?" Usually, things changed once I had some sort of supervision. Mother and Father thought I'd get in less trouble that way, which wasn't always that correct.

"Astoria," she said with a sigh, "what did I just say, not thirty seconds ago? NO. Besides, Daphne is asleep in her room and I don't want you to wake her. She was feeling ill earlier today. Poor thing, coughing up a storm." Mother got one of her very rare, glassy, almost sweet looks on her face. She quickly shook it off and replaced it with a stern frown. "She only just fell asleep."

"But Draco's out there somewhere! I saw him walk by through the window." She sent me a glare. I made a displeased grunting noise and took a sip of her coffee. "Astoria! You don't need any more caffeine, give it back this instant. Don't make me send you to your room." Wow, Mother was in a bad mood tonight, maybe because Father left her to go play poker in some of the less drunk Death Eaters in a tent somewhere across the field. Or it could be because she was never very good at dealing with me. Father could handle my occasional whining and constant noise better than she. Mother was prone to get headaches. Speaking of which – "My head is killing me," said she with a groan. "I think I put my headache potion somewhere . . ." She got up and retreated to the quiet of the master suite.

I smirked. That was very stupid of her, leaving me alone, right after I was begging to go outside. She was practically inviting me to sneak out. Might as well just open the flap of the tent and let me out herself.

I tiptoed to her bedroom door and listened. I heard her rummaging through drawers. That was good. I knew for a fact that the potion wasn't anywhere near her room. It was in her purse, in the pocket she always forgot about, the hidden one at the side. It would take her ages to find it, and ages for her to realize I was missing. Of course, just in case, I took her wand off of the dining room table and placed it in the pocket along with the potion. That way she couldn't use a summoning spell.

Still tiptoeing, I left the tent silently, then quickly walked away as fast as possible, without looking suspicious. I hoped none of Mother's friends were peeking out of their tents right now, or I'd probably get stuck in a long, tedious conversation which would no doubt lead to the question, "So Astoria, why in Merlin's polka-dotted trousers are you out here, at midnight, all alone, during this?"

Of course, Mother was right. It was total chaos and disorder out here. People were running around, screaming, crying, and pushing anyone and everyone in their way. I had to sidestep to avoid a weeping, very alarmed man running at full speed into the forest. I could see people (Muggles), flying in the air, along with laughter and drunken calls from a short distance away. Some tents were on fire, a couple people seemed to just ditch their tent and apparate away. I could see why Mother would be so worried, but I was old enough to be in this kind of situation and not get myself killed. I mean, I _was_ twelve.

Assuming most people were taking comfort in the darkness of the forest, I followed the weeping man's steps to a small, but distinct path through the undergrowth of the woods. I realized almost at once that I had made a horrible mistake. This forest was huge, and dark, and scary, and filled with strangers. What were the chances of finding someone I knew, let alone a specific person? I sighed, knowing it was too late to go back. By now Mother would've noticed I was gone, and if I was going to get in deep shit, I might as well go all the way.

Draco would want to watch it, though, I was certain of that. Why bother getting out of the tent if you were just going to hide in the woods? So, he must be on the outskirts, or at least, near the outskirts of the woods, where he could get a good view of the Muggles.

I looked at the ground, then sighed. No path the way I was going, but no matter. All I had to do was stay at the end of the tree line, where it was easy to walk and very bright. No problem.

After a while, I was starting to lose hope. I had ran into eight people, two of them were French (luckily, Mother made me take lessons when I was little, so I could ask them, not very well though, if they saw anyone who looked like Draco). Finally, I saw a head of pale blonde hair through a gap in the trees. It was Draco, I was positive, the guy was drawling, and Draco was the king of drawling. But this guy was talking to that ginger blood traitor, a Mudblood, and Harry Potter. Not exactly Draco Malfoy behavior. I stepped a little to the side for a closer look.

"Well, I'd keep your bushy head down, Granger," said Draco in parting. They each made a noise and walked off angrily. Draco smirked.

"What was that all about?"

Draco jumped and turned. I laughed at his surprise. He frowned. "Tori, what are you doing here? Get back to your tent; it's too dangerous out here."

"Too dangerous?" I repeated incredulously. "You've been out here for this whole time, and you haven't gotten trampled or killed or anything like that."

"Well, I'm older than you, aren't I? Older and wiser."

I narrowed my eyes. "Older by two stinking years! How much of a difference does that make? Besides, I'm perfectly safe out here, I mean; it's our parents' friends out there, isn't it? Maybe even our parents." I glanced at him knowingly. "It won't be us showing off our underpants thirty feet up."

"Still."

"Still? Wow, you are so great with words. _Still_." I gave out a loud, mock sigh. "It's stuff like that that really goes down deep you know, really looks into your soul. You are. Just so. . ." I paused for a moment, as though I was looking for the right word, "Articulate. Yes, that's it, articulate." Draco scowled.

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm."

I frowned immediately. "I don't appreciate being _de_preciated."

We glared at each other, doing the usual stare down we did whenever we got into an argument. He looked away. I smiled. "Well, now you're stuck with me. I can't go back, or Mother will go insane, and you can't just leave me, a simple, twelve year old, all alone in the woods. I need the guidance of a wise, intelligent fourteen year old." I smirked as I saw this realization finally dawn on him. "I'm such a terrible burden, aren't I?" He was silent. "So, is your father one of those Death Eaters?"

Draco ignored me and glanced over my shoulder. "There seems to be some Ministry wizards trying to stop them. . ."

Knowing he wouldn't answer my question, I tried another tactic. "Why were you talking to that Mudblood anyway? Do you fancy her or something?" I continued.

"What?" said Draco, his mouth opening in a wide, surprised _O_. "Of course not. It's disgusting for you to even think of it."

I laughed. "Well, I just assumed, because you seem to be always with her and always bother –" I lost my ability to speak, my eyes widened as I stared at the shape in the sky. Draco, sensing a joke, gave me a dirty look. "Dra – Draco, look up."

He sighed and obliged. I could hear his gasp as he saw the dark shape. It was the Dark Mark, and I knew it well. It was on Mother's arm, now it was quite faint, but it was there. She usually hid it with make-up, or just wore a sweater when going out into public. But when we were at the Malfoy Christmas Party, no one bothered to hide the Mark. Being the Dark Lord's follower was a choice they all made (most willingly), and they weren't ashamed. Of course, with all the people who hated Voldy, they had to hide it now, out of fear that they would be discovered. Truthfully, I was glad they kept it hidden so much; the thing gave me the creeps.

I stumbled and fell against Draco. We looked at each other as the screams grew louder in the distance. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know, but we have to get back, _now_." I nodded trying to regain my composure.

"We can go to my tent, c'mon."

We ran down the edge of the woods, this time a bit farther out into the brush. It was a bit lighter now, either from the lightening day or the bright torches lit by some of the Ministry wizards. Draco wanted us to be as unnoticed as possible, so we strayed off my path a bit.

"Here it is," I whispered, pointing to our tent. It was much larger than the other tents, and two stories tall. There were marble pillars on each side of the great ebony doors. It was quite easy to spot, lucky for us.

"Astoria!" cried Mother, running out of the tent. It seemed she was sitting at the window, waiting for me to appear. I wondered how long she waited. "Where have you been? Oh, I was so worried, darling." She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. After getting over her initial shock, she realized I had disobeyed her. "Astoria!" she barked. "Where in Merlin's pants have you been? It's a riot out here, and you decide to leave the tent and go gallivanting with Draco! You are grounded, Missy, for the rest of the summer. No magic, no friends, no nothing!" She glared at me and suddenly noticed that Draco was there. "Oh, Draco, it's so nice to see you. Quite sorry you had to hear that. Are you coming in?"

"No thank you, Mrs. Greengrass," he drawled. "I should probably find my mother as well. She'll be quite worried about me, I'm sure."

Mother nodded and smiled at Draco, then dragged me into the tent. "That's it, now in your room. And give me your wand, too."

I sighed as I handed it to her. It was a good thing summer was almost over.


	4. The Yule Ball, Year 2

**A/N: **It such a shame that school starts, as my computer time is very limited because my brother, who could easily beat me up if I oppose him, is always on. My only time is weekend mornings while everyone's still asleep. Sigh.

***The Yule Ball and A Boyfriend Fiasco***

***The Yule Ball, Year 2***

**Of course, Draco told me of the Triwizard Tournament at the Garden Party, so I was already fully prepared for that, but what he didn't tell me (a rather usual tidbit of information), was easily revealed by Father after a few minutes of prying.** There was going to be a ball, the oh-so fabulous Yule Ball that took place on Christmas Eve. This meant if I went I could miss the Malfoy Christmas Party, which would be perfectly unbearable unless Draco was there, and I knew for a fact he wouldn't be. So knowing this, I thought up a simple, but beautifully brilliant plan to keep me in Hogwarts and away from the Malfoy's during the holidays.

I needed a date, which was quite effortless; I was very easy on the eyes, as Father liked to put it. It would be child's play to get a boyfriend my age, but a fourth year was a problem. They were two whole years older than me, and dating older girls that were busty and womanly. I would have very little chance at one of them. However, before I even thought about thinking up some schemes, I asked Father's friend in the Ministry to check out several of the potential suitors' genealogy so I could be sure I was getting the purest of blood. After that, I had very few choices.

At the very top of my possible boyfriend list was Blaise Zabini, who was perfectly gorgeous and charming, but at the time, he was dating the prettier of the two Bulstrode sisters, a curvy, rather chesty fifth year named Veronica. I knew it wouldn't last long, but I had no time to wait it out. So, I had no other alternative but to ask out Theodore Nott.

Though no Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott was quite suitable for a date. He was tall, which was good; thin, which was even better; and I could just tell that he would look magnificent in a suit. We'd look quite well together, as long as he chose a color of tie that kind of matched my dress, without us looking too matchy. And he did have a decent looking face, though his eyebrows curved a bit around his eyes, and a rather cute smile. It would work out well, I was sure of it.

I began my plan by simply smiling at him in the halls, then gradually going into a greeting, which he delightfully returned. Eventually we were exchanging sentences (mostly on what class we were going to, how much homework we had, etc.), and then I was having full conversations with him in the common room, then sitting beside each other in the Great Hall at dinner. By December, we were officially an item. It was the perfect solution to my little problem; I was quite lucky that Theodore was that lonely, that he would actually accept me.

When I first thought up my plan, I half expected my fake boyfriend to be totally annoying and then I'd have to deal with him for a couple excruciating weeks, but with Theodore, it wasn't the case. He was very shy and quiet, and since he obviously never had a girlfriend before, he had no one to compare me to. And he put up with all my gossiping and prattling on with irrelevant topics, and I put up with his constant need to play Wizarding Chess, which, by the way, I was ghastly at playing. Of course, he put up with this because he fancied me, I put up with it because I had to, or I'd be alone all through the Christmas holidays.

By the time Christmas Eve came, we had been going out for nearly four weeks (three weeks and five days), and had everything planned. We were to meet in the Great Hall promptly at quarter past, then proceed to the Ball together, and I was to wear my purple gown, with delicate silver beading around the neckline, and he was to wear a black suit with a silver tie. I wasn't normally this organized, but when everybody in Hogwarts I loathed was going to look their very best, I had to do even better.

I wore that gown, a rich plum colored strapless mermaid dress, paired with metallic silver heels and a sparkly white shawl. I curled my hair into tight ringlets (my brown hair was naturally straight, but extremely thick, so there was always a couple waves in it), and put in some diamond jewelry I borrowed from Mother. Theodore kept his promise as well, knowing how much it meant to me, and wore his silver tie.

"Astoria," began Theodore, taking my hand as I descended the stone staircase, "you look beautiful." Theodore's face brightened the second he saw me, he blushed as I returned his gaze, and he looked almost breathless as I kissed him lightly on the lips. He was so cute, and absolutely mad about me. Maybe I won't dump him after this is all said and done, I thought, having a boyfriend like Theodore has it's perks, I suppose.

"Don't I always?" I said, grinning. Theodore always showered me with compliments; they kind of lost their meaning after a while. "Shall we? The first dance will be starting soon; I don't want to miss it."

The first dance began. Cedric Diggory was utterly smoldering in his dress robes, and he danced with this okay looking Asian girl I had seen in the hall a couple times. She looked pretty in her gown, but it was obviously inexpensive. Potter, though I detested him, actually looked handsome, but his dance partner, a Patil sister, was dragging him around like a dog. The French girl, Flower or something, was gorgeous as usual, and her dance partner was as well. She was quite graceful, but her partner, Davies, messed up on his steps, too busy gawking at her. And Krum! Though he was never handsome, and probably never would be, he looked nice next to his partner, a beautiful girl I didn't recognize.

"Is that – is that the Mudblood girlfriend of Harry Potter?" whispered Theodore.

"What? No, it couldn't be." But as I looked closer, they did seem rather similar. They had the same face shape, and the same posture. No, it was impossible! That Mudblood was haggard and disgusting. She couldn't look that good, better than me! "No, I don't think so," I repeated, clenching my teeth.

The first dance finally stopped, and a new song came on. Theodore and I danced together for the first three dances (he was good, not graceful, but he knew the steps and was pretty coordinated), then someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Could I borrow Tori for a dance or two?"

"Oh, er – sure," answered Theodore, quite surprised. Draco smirked. "Uh, Astoria, I'm just going to sit over there." I nodded.

Of course, the minute Draco came near me, the slowest song on the Weird Sisters' repertoire began playing. Draco placed his hands on my hips, and I placed mine on his shoulders, which was difficult, as he had grown at least three inches since the last time we formally danced.

"So, how exactly did you sneak in here?" asked Draco, after a few moments of silent swaying.

"Oh, easy! I just formed an elaborate plan of getting a fourth year boyfriend, which I think turned out pretty well." I paused for a second to glance at Theodore, who was watching us from a table nearby. "You honestly didn't notice us together at all within the last month?"

"No, actually," he said with a smile. "I never pay much attention to anyone but myself." Ah, we were so alike. He suddenly laughed. "I can't believe you're going out with Nott!"

"What? He was the only suitable, single fourth year!" I cried defensively. "I mean, I could've gone for Blaise Zabini, who is superior in probably every way, but he was dating Veronica Bulstrode. And – and Theodore is nice! He likes me, and I like him!" I stopped myself. "Well then, Draco," I said icily, "who did you come here with?"

"Pansy Parkinson," he answered. I knew the name, but I didn't remember what she looked like.

"Pansy Parkinson…she's one of Daphne's mates, right?" He nodded. I thought for a moment. "No, I don't know who she is. Probably horrifying, though, if she is a Parkinson. Her sister Daffodil is in my year, and she looks like a constipated Chowchow. What does this one look like, a pug?" I smiled as Draco glared at me.

His eyes turned to slits; I seemed to hit a soft spot. Lovely. "Well, Nott's a cry baby with no friends. I mean, I suppose he has a decent face, but no one likes him. He hasn't even had a girlfriend before, just a right hand –"

"Draco!" I cried, outraged. "How dare you mention my boyfriend mas - masturbating, like I really need that image! And anyway, don't bother trying to get me all rallied up about this; I'm just going out with him so I could go to the ball. I'm dumping him tomorrow." The whole room was silent. The song had reached it's end as soon as I began talking, and everyone was listening as I made that final announcement. Theodore stood up.

"So, you just used me to go to the Yule Ball?" he began loudly, so everyone could hear. "I thought you actually cared about me, Astoria. Well, you know what?_ I'm_ dumping _you_!" And with that, Theodore hastily took off his silver tie I bought for him, threw it at me, and stormed out. A couple girls near us giggled, whispering excitedly to each other.

I turned to glare at Draco. "Thanks a lot. Well, for a punishment, I'm hanging out with your lot for the rest of the night."

We danced the next three dances together, as Pansy ran off to gossip with her friends about Theodore and me. I was still pretty angry with Draco for ruining my relationship. I was actually considering keeping Theodore around, and now I had no chance at all. Of course, now that I was officially in the dating world, the question was if I wanted to remain in it, and if I did, who of the very few suitable people I was going to choose.

Draco then introduced me properly to his chums, Crabbe and Goyle. They seemed nice, I suppose, but utterly dim-witted and stupid as well. They didn't add much to the conversation (we just doing the regular gossip about who was dating who, that kind of thing), and they probably didn't understand much of it either.

I wondered why Draco would keep such friends. Sure, they had their perks. Having them around would make you seem so much smarter, and good looking, and just altogether better. But they'd get annoying, wouldn't' they? With all their stupid questions and daft expressions? It seemed like the kind of thing I would try for a day or two, but not the four years Draco has devoted to them.

When the dance ended I went up to my dormitory, which was feeling bare without my girlfriends and their things, and got ready for bed. I threw my gown on the floor, stepping on it as I walked to my four poster bed. It was pointless to keep it now, as it was considered blasphemy to re-wear gowns at the Malfoy Christmas and Garden Parties. We usually just threw them out.

Ah, my first year of my life I didn't attend the Malfoy Christmas Party, and it wasn't really a success, but it wasn't a failure all together. I guess there were other lonely boys out there whose ages I could take advantage of.

**A/N: **Ah, don't you love Hogwarts/highschool drama? I adore it! Everyone gossiping and going on about who dumped who. . .


End file.
